TcMenu - Overview and quick start
Menu library and designer for Arduino and mbed TcMenu is a modular, IoT ready multi-level menu library for Arduino and mbed supporting many input, display and IoT / remote interfaces. It makes presenting configuration, status and operational information much easier. First, you design your menu structure using the designer UI, then using the code generator you convert your menu structure into Arduino, mbed or Raspberry-PI compatible code that works with your chosen hardware through plugins.
Timed blink - IO Abstraction library example
Timed blink is a version of well known Arduino blink example that is shipped with the standard IDE, but is redesigned to use the Abstraction and timer library. Example circuit for the code is exactly the same a blink, and if you use the inbuilt LED pin (which it does by default) then there’s no need to build any circuit whatsoever. Instead of using delay() calls to set the duration of the led flash, it uses the task management library to schedule a task.
Multi language locale based menu for Arduino and mbed
TcMenu 4.0 onward supports multi-language menus based on resource bundles which are effectively properties files containing language translations. The designer lets you set up translations on a per-locale basis for the app name, each menu item, and even for additional strings in your application. Once enabled the properties files are turned into a series of C++ include header files that you can choose between using a TC_LOCALE_?? setting described below.
Embedded Java for Raspberry PI and other embedded Linux
Embedded Java for Raspberry PI and embedded Linux is supported from V2.3 onwards directly from the designer UI. We are building out the number of UI options, but presently No Local UI and JavaFX are supported, we will try and add Android longer term. The Java version is well served with remote capabilities offering Serial (USB, Bluetooth, RS232) devices, Ethernet, WiFi and Webserver based protocols. Also, it’s easy to write your own additional remote extension point if needed.
Rendering using themes - properties, grids and icons
Most display plugins can be customized using TcThemeBuilder, a utility class that allows you to simply configure fonts, colors, spacing, grids and icons. To the left you can see cool-blue theme with a multi-column grid layout. Grids allow for multi-column menus by breaking rows up into multiple columns. You can configure graphical settings at the default level, or even override settings for a specific menu item. Choosing a theme to get started in a new project To avoid having to define the fonts, spacing, colors and other details from scratch, we have a few starter themes that can be applied out of the box.
Setting up IO-expanders in the menu designer
Setting up IO devices has been made much easier as of V2.2 of the designer software. you can now directly edit the IO expander configurations directly within tcMenu. When we discuss IO devices we are talking about IoAbstractionRef objects that refer to either device pins, or any other device such as I2C expanders or shift registers from the IoAbstraction library. In order to manage the IO Expanders that are available within a project you can do so from the Code menu -> Show Io Expanders.
Integrating EEPROM support into menu applications
IoAbstraction EEPROM support can be integrated into your menu application, it can be used to load and store menu item values, authentication and also choice menu items that are using EEPROM storage. Menu Manager makes it very easy to save values to EEPROM between runs. Each menu item can optionally have a storage point in the EEPROM area (-1 / 0xffff means not stored). Any items that have a valid EEPROM address will be persisted upon calling the save function on menuMgr, and similarly, will be read back by calling load.
Securing sub-menus and remote connections with an Authenticator
You can secure both sub-menu items and remote connections using an Authenticator. In summary, when an authenticator is present on menuMgr any attempt to show a secure sub menu will result in a dialog asking for the pin; only proceeding to display the sub menu if the pin matches the on in authenticator. In addition, all remote/IoT connections will only be allowed if the authenticator approves the connection. An example of the secure sub-menu pin entry screen is below:
IOA I2C/Wire abstraction that works Across Arduino and mbed
IoAbstraction 2.0 onwards has core I2C/Wire functionality provided by several functions, these abstract the use of I2C over Arduino and mbed, and over time the implementation of these will be improved, such that asynchronous behaviour will be possible on certain boards. Prior to 2.0, we had conditional I2C code scattered around the project, but now nearly all such functionality is separated out by platform, and sometimes even by board, we’ve made this available through the API, so you can use it too.
Simple Collection - btree list
IoAbstraction contains a very simple collection that is relatively lightweight and works on a wide range of boards. It is a btree list that provides ordering and list storage. It works on anything from Arduino Uno upwards! It’s memory usage is very configurable, and the way it resizes arrays is also configurable too. You can set the initial size if you know how many items to expect, and do not wish for it to resize, or you can rely on platform defaults, for more general purpose cases.
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